FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a process for producing a filled, sealed and sterilized container comprising at least one can body and at least one lid body, which can be opened without the aid of a tool, as well as to a container which can be produced according to the process.
Containers in general are packs (hereinafter use is made of the all-embracing term "container"), which can be opened without the aid of tools, such as e.g., knives, can openers, etc. These types of containers, known as easy open systems, have acquired increased importance over the last few years due to the much easier handling such containers provide for the user.
Thus, use is made to a considerable extent of ring pull lids in can-like packs in the human and animal food sector. However, in many cases, particularly when metal is used as the base material, there is a risk of sharp edges being formed following the opening of the can.
A particular problem occurs in containers where, after filling and sealing, the contents must be preserved by sterilization. In this case the internal pressure within the can resulting from the elevated sterilization temperatures must be withstood by the container. The connection between the lid body and the can body, in particular, constitutes a weak point in the case of such easy open systems.
Therefore the problem the invention overcomes is to develop a process that overcome the disadvantages of the prior art while making available an easy open system without any risk of an unintentional destruction of the filled container during the sterilization process.